Burrough Hill and Little Dalby

This pleasant walk starts from an imposing and prominent Iron Age hillfort at Burrough Hill that commands fine views over the gentle, undulating hills and vales of a quiet rural corner of Leicestershire. This area also lays claim to the origins of Stilton cheese, which is still made locally. The route includes visiting the sleepy hamlet of Little Dalby with its beautifully situated church, built of the local mellow ironstone.

The track from the car park leads to the imposing hillfort which dates from around 200 BC, the fort being eventually abandoned around 600 years later around AD 400. It has been suggested that this hillfort was the ancient capital of the Coritani people, a tribe from the East Midlands at that time. They will have abandoned it as a result of later Roman rule in the region. Excavations around the east gateway have revealed a cobbled road and the foundations of a gatehouse. Flints used by Mesolithic hunters have also been found in and around the site.

Afterwards the walk leads to the sleepy village of Little Dalby. Close to the village is the Church of St James which was built in 1850. Ideally situated on the hill by the wood of Little Dalby Hall, the church was constructed of local ironstone at great expense to the Hartopp family who resided at the hall for over 300 years. The church dominates the quiet hamlet, where time seems to stand still.

After Little Dalby the walk visits a lovely pond and continues on a lane beside fields and through copses. Sir Francis Burdett's Covert contains a fine variety of trees. Notably, this area was once popular for the now redundant fox hunting tradition with a number of hunts operating in the area. These included the Quorn Hunt, Cottesmore Hunt, and Belvoir Hunt. Now the countryside is quiet and peaceful, perfect for leisure walking.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.